RedHawks Unload On Sounds, 12-2
April 14, 2009 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Oklahoma City RedHawks cranked out a season-best 17 hits en route to a 12-2 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Tuesday evening at Greer Stadium in the second game of a four-game series.
The RedHawks received multi-hit efforts from seven different players on the night, led by Royce Huffman (3-for-4) and Esteban German (3-for-5). For the fifth time in Nashville's six games this season, the opposition struck first as Oklahoma City took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
After the first two batters of the initial frame were retired, Brandon Boggs and Ben Harrison connected for back-to-back two-out doubles off Sounds starter Sam Narron to put the visitors on the board.
The RedHawks doubled the lead in the second when a leadoff walk to Huffman came back to haunt Narron. With one out, Greg Golson singled to move Huffman to second before he came around to score later in the frame on Julio Borbon's two-out RBI single to center to make it a 2-0 contest.
Oklahoma made it a 3-0 game in the sixth against Narron on a Joaquin Arias sacrifice fly.
RedHawks starter Luis Mendoza (1-0) was nearly flawless in his first outing of the season, limiting the Sounds to two hits while striking out six batters over five scoreless innings of work to record the victory.
Nashville took immediate advantage of Mendoza's departure, touching former Sound Derrick Turnbow for a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull within 3-2.
Third baseman Mat Gamel extended his season-opening hit streak to six games by leading off with his fourth double of the season. After moving to third on a Brendan Katin single, Gamel came plateward with the first Sounds run of the evening on Erick Almonte's RBI single to right. Hernan Iribarren followed with a seeing-eye single through the right side of the infield that extended his hit streak to five games and brought home Katin to make it a one-run contest.
The RedHawks bullpen went into lockdown mode following Turnbow's exit, allowing no hits to Nashville batters over the final 3 2/3 frames. Brian Gordon worked 1 2/3 hitless innings before Thomas Diamond and Pedro Strop each turned in a scoreless frame to close out the contest.
Oklahoma City added an insurance run in the top of the eighth against Nashville reliever Lindsay Gulin when Arias lifted his second sacrifice fly of the night to right to bring in Max Ramirez, then pulled ahead comfortably in the ninth with an eight-run eruption against the southpaw to increase the lead to 12-2.
Narron (0-1) worked seven innings, the longest outing by a Sounds hurler during the young season, but took a loss after allowing three runs on nine hits while walking one batter and striking out six.
Sounds shortstop Alcides Escobar went 0-for-4 on the evening to snap his season-opening hit streak at five games.
The teams continue their series with an 11 a.m. matinee on Wednesday morning at Greer. Right-hander Mike Burns (0-0, 9.00) will take the hill for the Sounds to face Oklahoma City right-hander Doug Mathis (0-0, 3.00).
Pacific Coast League Stories from April 14, 2009
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- Tonight's Bees Game Postponed - Salt Lake Bees
- Round Rock victorious, 2-1 - Round Rock Express
- RedHawks Unload On Sounds, 12-2 - Nashville Sounds
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- Seven Grizzlies Record Hits, Four For Extra-Bases, Behind Matt Kinney's First Win Of 2009 - Fresno Grizzlies
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